Tag Archive: Inspiration

A black sea of peaceful tranquility, dimly lit by a myriad of pinpoint light. The endless void that is life, death, rebirth and infinity: Existence and intelligence; energy and purpose, boundless in periphery and dimension…

The stars are other worlds, scattered sparsely among the sable background of the unknown. Time does not exist, sounds are muffled and light never reaches its destiny. Yet, somehow, there is purpose as proven by human existence. As proven by love, energy and illumination…

A little blue dot… A microcosm of humanity and society plowing an invisible trail through the open unknown; searching for spiritual subsistence, living on the edge of cessation and yet always born in the cradle of boundless vision, clarity and responsiveness…

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own journey in Self-Discovery.

Like this:

A symbolic cancer can form inside us all, feeding off our ego and misfortunes; low self esteem its fuel, creating a barrier from what is real…

The easy path to mediocrity greets us all. Its seedy grin reflecting in a mirror of destiny; leading us down a path of suffering and fear. A dull pain pierces our memories; a fading glimpse of a dysfunctional childhood, fear and loathing. lost love; friends miles apart…

Understanding breeds wisdom; a instrument of enlightenment that can slay the beast that is negativity, ego and suffering: Bringing forth happiness and clarity. A reason to live beyond apprehension and abhorrence. A reason to free ourselves from the dysfunction. A confidence in our actions; compassion in our hearts.

A feeling of love; turning life into art…

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own journey in Self-Discovery.

Imagine being a concrete road; so large and strong not even the biggest storm or largest earthquake could crumble down your highway. Imagine this road as your True Nature: A life source that is unwavering and indestructible; a facet of energy, born from the Universe, uninjured and steadfast. You were born with True Nature and you will die with True Nature; intact and dependable.

Now, imagine debris and refuse blowing in the wind. Empty water bottles, an errant box, plastic grocery bags and cigarette butts. This trash is the ego facilities of your mind: Blowing past your road of strength with anger, jealousy, narcissism, guilt and addiction…. Just like endless thoughts parading through your mind. An endless parade of crap blowing carelessly across your path; your road of life..

Be the road… not the trash….

Be the True Nature of your being and not the false-self driven by ego and society….

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own journey in Self-Discovery.

When looking back on the past does not interest you anymore…. Well, you know you are heading forward in the right direction…. It is amazing how much energy we can expend on thinking about the past: Our failures and mistakes; our stresses and worries about things we probably can’t change. The past is the past….

The only control we have is the present moment… right here, right now… It is the actions we take right here; right now that can change the future; thus rewriting any past negativity. Remember that as we head into a New Year. Your past does not need to define you. Further, you have complete control over the present moment which can dictate the future…

Peace, Love and Illumination!

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own Hero’s Journey.

My reverence and mindfulness creates positive thinking and a admiration for simplicity.

Veneration for my surroundings, awareness of my body and energy; clarity and sensitivity bears an infinite vision that transcends all dogma…

A journey of self introspection. Void of persecution and stigma; karma, the watchful eye of my progression…

Peace and tranquility: Unfettered and unswerving are my feelings: A dynamism in the moment that outshines past and future, fear and fantasy – for a moment I find myself ever present – Stillness speaks wisdom…

Bringing forth compassion born from intrinsic nature…

Unlimited is my ability, love and bliss my energy as wisdom and an errant but welcome epiphany unravels life’s meaning…

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own Hero’s Journey.

I wrote the Responsive Universe as a hand book to self-discovery. Within its pages are 9 chapters or Mandalas – each a stepping stone forward in meditation and mindfulness. Reading and implementing the helpful daily life practices and guided meditations is a measured process – a journey not to be rushed.

Still, what can we do now in the present moment to immediately bring more happiness and wellness into our busy lives? below is a short list of 5 simple things you can do daily to perpetuate better health and happiness:

Compliment Someone: It is that easy. Whether it is a co-worker, significant other or complete stranger; go out of your way to say something nice to someone else. It is a simple gesture that creates a ripple of quantum positive energy that will eventually return to its source. You!

Drink Water: Seems obvious right? But for those of you who drink soda pop (soft drinks) or other sugary beverages, I am talking to you! Substitute water and be sure you are getting enough. Not to get graphic but you should be drinking enough water each day to pee clear at least once. Water is the simplest way to cleanse and hydrate your body.

Revel in the intricacies of Nature

Get out in Nature: I write all the time about how Nature speaks. If you do not know what I mean then you need to be more mindful of the benefits of immersing yourself in our beautiful natural world. Even if it is for a moment on your break time at work – get outside and feel the sunshine and breathe in some fresh air! Even better, go for a walk in the woods!

Breathe: Even simpler! Well, not literally… Practice mindful breathing if only for a couple of breaths. Breathe in deeply and visualize positive quantum energy entering your body; cleansing your aura or energy footprint. Exhale and feel all the stress, negativity, guilt, fear and suffering leave you – all trappings of the ego. Breathe in positive energy – exhale negative energy; if only for a minute. Easy right?

Root your being in the present moment and not the past or future

Be in the Present Moment: The past is gone so there is nothing you can do about that. The future has yet to come so there is no sense worrying about something that has yet to arise. When you live in the present moment you are mindful and aware; in full control of your thoughts, ideas, actions and reactions. In the present moment you have two decisions. You can root your energy and intent in positivity or negativity. It’s your call….

5 easy things that will take up less than 5 minutes of your life – it’s that simple!

John C. Bader is a photographer, wellness advocate and consultant specializing in spiritual self-evolution, meditation, and bio-energy healing. In his writing, he bridges science with spirituality and provides steps to encourage more mindfulness in daily life. His new book, The Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas is a step by step process on how to begin your very own Hero’s Journey.

How vast is the mind? When we conjure up huge distances in the mind our brain seems border-less in its periphery. Take our own solar system with its planets: Within the mind we can visualize the red planet Mars as we whiz by in our thoughts. Seconds later we pass Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System. To the left is an image of Jupiter I took from the backyard using my telescope. Jupiter alone is over 628 million miles from Earth! Soon we reach the rings of Saturn and the icy blue reaches of Uranus and Neptune. We can visualize what it might be like on planets orbiting other stars in the night sky – some millions of light years away. When we look through a large enough telescope we can see other Galaxies, different from our own – some hundreds of billions of miles from Earth. Then there are the galaxies and deep space objects we can’t see – their light so ancient its energy and vibration has yet to reach Earth. How is it possible to conjure up such vast distances within the mind? How big is the mind and does it have a border? What is a thought? Where do thoughts arise and where do they go?

These are things worth contemplating….

What about the inner world of sub atomic physics. A single cell’s nucleus mirrors that of a planet orbiting afar: Electrons orbiting the protons and neutrons like moons orbiting a host planet. Each cell nucleus spaced like planets and stars across the vast and intricate structure of the human brain. Over 100 billion cells dotting the night sky of the brain – vast, border-less, and possibly infinite…

How do we fit in all this…? The Universe with its myriad of star laden galaxies and the sub atomic Universe infinite in its structure… There isn’t just the Universe and then us – something detached and separate… In order to understand the Universe in simple terms we need to consider ourselves part of the equation. The same can be said for the sub atomic world within. Just the act of observing microscopic particles changes their result. We are part of the result. We are part of the Universe. There is not one and then the other. We need to consider ourselves part of something so vast it transcends earthly dogma. So vast and connected that anything is possible because within the Responsive Universe there are infinite possibilities.

Can you imagine? Having the ability to go back in time and redo some the things we maybe regret. Or even better, return to the past with the wisdom we now garner? Yeah, that would be pretty cool wouldn’t it? If I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to worry less, not care what other people think, be a leader not a follower; and above all, love myself unconditionally…

Just one problem… That is not reality is it? More of a fantasy I think….

There is a reason we grow and mature. There is a reason we have to learn the hard way. I call it social evolution. Every past positive and negative thought, action and reaction contributes to the person you are today. Life is a university in learning. How else are we to discover our true self? It is worth noting that none of us are perfect. Many of us have had less than stellar childhoods; maybe we had a bad break up last year, a terrible loss or wish we would have said or done different things in retrospect. I think that is pretty normal.

The thing to realize is that every present moment is a new start. We can’t go back in time and change the negative memories, but we can stop them from reoccurring in the present moment. Imagine being the director of a movie; except the movie is your life story. Maybe this movie starts off a bit negative. You may even feel sorry for the main character. But as a director you can create any ending you like. We all want to feel good after a movie right? The idea is to understand that as directors of our own lives, our past script may have sucked, but you have the power to save this movie from the .99 cent bargain basket at Walmart and make it a blockbuster!

Understand that you are the director, not a victim, and write your very own happy ending. It can be that easy when you stop complicating things and understand that every new moment in life is an opportunity to be happy.

I am a person who is a student and mentor on a voyage to self-discovery and enlightenment. My own personal awakening years ago birthed much of my philosophy. An awakening is an immediate or sometimes gradual realization of a reality different from what you always believed. I like to call this different reality a “True Reality.” Waking up from my ordinary life and seeing how things fit together has propelled me forward to fulfillment. This quality of knowing is like seeing 20/20 for the first time. This vision, the awareness, and the feelings sound like they would be jarring and intense, but my awakening felt like a pleasant windfall. I immediately knew how to act and react to challenges and stress. I had a new openness and clarity with life. Things were brighter and clearer. Even my most challenging problems seem to be palatable.

Still, knowing the right answers does not mean we always act skillfully and soulfully. Such feelings of energy and focus require diligence and determination. We need to center our body and minds in the present; sans of past and future; fear and fantasy: A endless task of mindfulness. I still struggle against ego, right and wrong; faced with the same challenges and conflicts that effect us all. My view points on religious dogma tend to get me in trouble with the religious right; my energy and drive continually needs to be rekindled. I am just a person. I had a forgettable adolescence. My first child was stillborn. I have struggled with addiction, marital problems, mediocrity, and utter isolation. But I am a person who has looked misery in the eye and asked the question, “Is there more to life than this?”

So, I am someone who has been there. We probably have more in common than we know. We both have stories to tell, some good and some bad. We have good friends and adversaries. We have faced success and loss. We are just working our way through this thing called life. Our knowledge comes from our life experiences; our faith from knowing that we have in our possession the keys to unlocking the door to happiness. Do I have an answer for everything? Not a chance. As a mentor, I believe more in cultivating an awareness of environment and self that allows someone to discover answers on his or her own. My goal is to guide people in the right direction and pose questions that may spur a change in perspective and an awakening. I don’t believe, like many organized religions, that truth is one thing, that it is recorded as the word of God, and that the word is fixed and unchanging. I believe we all have pure wisdom inside each of us. The goal is finding our inner voice that connects to our True Nature, thus leading us down the evolutionary path of self-discovery.

That is why I wrote the Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas. Let this book be proof that karma, meditation and positive energy can lead to a better life – that if we yearn for betterment and meditate on our dreams – they will come true! This book of nine mandalas or chapters is my awakening. But it is more than that. I took this knowledge gained through self-discovery and compared it with the knowledge of great writers, philosophers and spiritual leaders like Joseph Campbell and the Dalai Lama. I realized my thoughts and ideas were not that abstract. I realized that science could bridge spirituality and that we are all connected at the sub-atomic level – our very thoughts, actions and reactions changing the fabric of the Universe.

I feel like there has been this gap or hole in the collective narrative that is wellness books; especially books on spirituality. We see plenty of self-help books on the shelves talking about what we need to do to be happier people. How do we achieve happiness? God knows there is plenty of that. In my own spiritual quest I have been just as interested in the how of enlightenment and also the WHY of enlightenment. There are plenty of books to teach us how to be happier. But what about the mechanics behind such ideas? I have never been a proponent of blind faith and that is why the Bible is not on my shelf of favorite self-help books. I like to know the science and reasoning behind things like karma, God and the afterlife. I think there is this global thirst to know and believe in God – Yet for me personally, organized religion continues to fall short with answers to the biggest questions of why… Why do we suffer? Why do we exist? where do we go when we die? WHY?

So, in researching and writing the Responsive Universe – Illumination of the Nine Mandalas, I worked diligently to discuss topics of spirituality, God, human origin, karma and meditation and also the science behind such ideas. Take the concept of an afterlife: Can Science Prove there is an Afterlife is one of my most popular blog posts. Why? Because blind faith is just not enough for some people. People want to know that science can prove we live on in some facet after death. It is more reassuring, especially for those that are educated and awake to the wonders of the Cosmos. It is a big place out there in the Universe and science is now beginning to explain our connections to this vast and impressive quantum Universe.

So, the goal of the Responsive Universe is to explain our most enduring questions with answers based more on science and less on conjecture. Couple that with helpful meditations and insightful daily life practices; and I have taken this book to another level with empowering steps to find happiness and understanding within this Responsive Universe. The Responsive Universe is a unique book: It is approachable and understandable; and yet it is intelligent and philosophical in nature. In the RU I am not afraid to question religious authority. In the RU we tackle situations of loss, dealing with our past as well as God and positive energy. Each chapter builds on the next as we journey through this Mandala of life.

Who should read this book? Anyone that has questions about life that are not being answered by conventional religion and daily life. If you are interested in Buddhism or how science explains God and our place within the Cosmos; this book is for you! A reborn christian may not like this book – its ideas and premise will threaten their forged dogmatic views. Nothing is more scary than having your belief systems questioned. Yet it is fear and guilt that holds us from true self-discovery. What if I told you that you do not need religion to be self-actualized. What if I told you God and everything you need is inside your being; your True Nature. So, for the silent majority out there that is looking for more; that sees the world as vast and connective, then this book will connect you to something more – something larger: A Responsive Universe…